Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Coragyps · 05-26-2002, 05:42 PM

Hmmmm, maybe those canals were really there all along...

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2009000/2009318.stm" target="_blank">BBC page</a>. The article is to be published in Science this week.

cloudyphiz · 05-26-2002, 06:28 PM

absolutely freakin' awesome

that just made my day,
thanks for posting it.

-gary

Abacus · 05-26-2002, 07:01 PM

Wow. It sounds like there is one hell of a lot of it too.

graden1 · 05-26-2002, 07:46 PM

This is amazing! Can't wait to get the whole story from NASA next week. Now maybe they'll manage to get a manned mission underway. Hope it doesnt' take 20 years, though.

thanx heaps,

Grady

Thor Q. Mada · 05-26-2002, 07:53 PM

Good we have the BBC.
On CNN, science and tech is usually defined as "the newest gaming console of somebody" or something equally far removed from science.

Liquidrage · 05-26-2002, 08:47 PM

At CNN, Science and Tech is usually Tech focused on the front page. However, if you look on the main menu under Tech is a link for Space.

The current front page space headline at CNN is
"Storm-like activity found on brown dwarf stars"

So I wouldn't put CNN down for their space coverage. I really wouldn't put them down for their science coverage either. These are the 4 "Top Stories" on the Sci-Tech page.

Windows XP patch to comply with anti-trust deal
Nintendo chief to step down after 52 years
New robotic combat jet takes flight
Report: Chimps used tools 5 million years ago

I'd say it lives up to the title of "Sci-Tech" pretty well.

On the Mars water. I think it's great news.
However, every time I hear of a new "Mars" discovery I sigh.
We're capable of going to the Moon now.
Mars is a pipe dream.
And will always be a pipe dream unless we go to the Moon first. Mars from the Moon is doable. It isn't from Earth.

OK, it's technically doable. Just don't hold your breathe waiting for it to actually happen. A lot can happen in 20 years, like loosing the financing or the public interest.

NASA seems content to put little probes out there looking at this and that. And They seem to love formulating plans to get people to where the probes go. They just never seem to actually get the people there.

I'm not into conspiracy theories but I'm beginning to believe NASA releases news of Mars just to get public interest in Mars thus giving NASA the green light to focus on Mars instead of the Moon. This allows NASA to not actually have to do anything since as mentioned, Mars just really isn't going to happen.

Vorkosigan · 05-27-2002, 01:58 AM

Great article. Very exciting stuff. Can we start with the terraforming already? I want to see my grandson on the spaceship to Mars....

Vorkosigan

joshack · 05-27-2002, 02:37 AM

NASA seems content to put little probes out there looking at this and that. And They seem to love formulating plans to get people to where the probes go. They just never seem to actually get the people there.

The problem is not really NASA. It's that 1) there is no $$ for human missions right now, and 2) there is currently little value (given the cost) for human missions (to Mars) that probes could not accomplish.

Liquidrage · 05-27-2002, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by joshack:
<strong>NASA seems content to put little probes out there looking at this and that. And They seem to love formulating plans to get people to where the probes go. They just never seem to actually get the people there.

The problem is not really NASA. It's that 1) there is no $$ for human missions right now, and 2) there is currently little value (given the cost) for human missions (to Mars) that probes could not accomplish.</strong>

I believe the problem is NASA and possibly the Government which controls the budget.
NASA currently gets over 13 billion USD per year.
This is more then enough to set up a permenant lunar base within a few years time.
However, NASA spreads their pockets too thin to do anything truely meaningfull like a lunar base.
What I and many others believe is that NASA should suspend most of the probes and other *one time* projects for a few years and lay the foundations for future explorations.
The moon is the obvious choice.
Mars makes for better press and nicer computer animated graphics. But as mentioned it is not realistic to set our sites on such a distant object.

NASA is a political ogranization. Their main concern seems to be making sure they get a good budget in the comming years.
If they were to *try* and establish a lunar base, it could fail. If it fails people will get all upset, congress will scream and their budget could shrink.
NASA just plays it safe. And because of this it will never do anything truely fantastic.

Hedwig · 05-27-2002, 06:32 AM

I've been seeing stuff geared toward education and children for the past week or so on the gamma-ray spectrometer and they had various pictures taken with it looking at the ice on Mars. *blinks* I thought that classroom-oriented early morning stuff on the NASA channel (or whatever it's name is) was older than that...huh...

It's cool in any case.

I have got to learn to sleep at night...

05-26-2002, 05:42 PM	#1
Coragyps Veteran Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Snyder,Texas,USA Posts: 4,411	Water on Mars Hmmmm, maybe those canals were really there all along... <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2009000/2009318.stm" target="_blank">BBC page</a>. The article is to be published in Science this week.

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05-26-2002, 06:28 PM	#2
cloudyphiz Senior Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: rochester, ny, usa Posts: 658	absolutely freakin' awesome that just made my day, thanks for posting it. -gary

05-26-2002, 07:01 PM	#3
Abacus Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: South Dakota Posts: 2,214	Wow. It sounds like there is one hell of a lot of it too.

05-26-2002, 07:46 PM	#4
graden1 Regular Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Columbia, Maryland, USA Posts: 120	This is amazing! Can't wait to get the whole story from NASA next week. Now maybe they'll manage to get a manned mission underway. Hope it doesnt' take 20 years, though. thanx heaps, Grady

05-26-2002, 07:53 PM	#5
Thor Q. Mada Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Asia Posts: 3,558	Good we have the BBC. On CNN, science and tech is usually defined as "the newest gaming console of somebody" or something equally far removed from science.

05-26-2002, 08:47 PM	#6
Liquidrage Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Tallahassee Posts: 1,301	At CNN, Science and Tech is usually Tech focused on the front page. However, if you look on the main menu under Tech is a link for Space. The current front page space headline at CNN is "Storm-like activity found on brown dwarf stars" So I wouldn't put CNN down for their space coverage. I really wouldn't put them down for their science coverage either. These are the 4 "Top Stories" on the Sci-Tech page. Windows XP patch to comply with anti-trust deal Nintendo chief to step down after 52 years New robotic combat jet takes flight Report: Chimps used tools 5 million years ago I'd say it lives up to the title of "Sci-Tech" pretty well. On the Mars water. I think it's great news. However, every time I hear of a new "Mars" discovery I sigh. We're capable of going to the Moon now. Mars is a pipe dream. And will always be a pipe dream unless we go to the Moon first. Mars from the Moon is doable. It isn't from Earth. OK, it's technically doable. Just don't hold your breathe waiting for it to actually happen. A lot can happen in 20 years, like loosing the financing or the public interest. NASA seems content to put little probes out there looking at this and that. And They seem to love formulating plans to get people to where the probes go. They just never seem to actually get the people there. I'm not into conspiracy theories but I'm beginning to believe NASA releases news of Mars just to get public interest in Mars thus giving NASA the green light to focus on Mars instead of the Moon. This allows NASA to not actually have to do anything since as mentioned, Mars just really isn't going to happen.

05-27-2002, 01:58 AM	#7
Vorkosigan Contributor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrayar Posts: 11,866	Great article. Very exciting stuff. Can we start with the terraforming already? I want to see my grandson on the spaceship to Mars.... Vorkosigan

05-27-2002, 02:37 AM	#8
joshack Junior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: valley of the hell, AZ Posts: 26	NASA seems content to put little probes out there looking at this and that. And They seem to love formulating plans to get people to where the probes go. They just never seem to actually get the people there. The problem is not really NASA. It's that 1) there is no $$ for human missions right now, and 2) there is currently little value (given the cost) for human missions (to Mars) that probes could not accomplish.

05-27-2002, 06:32 AM	#10
Hedwig Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 3,921	I've been seeing stuff geared toward education and children for the past week or so on the gamma-ray spectrometer and they had various pictures taken with it looking at the ice on Mars. blinks I thought that classroom-oriented early morning stuff on the NASA channel (or whatever it's name is) was older than that...huh... It's cool in any case. I have got to learn to sleep at night...

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